Buckhead Community Improvement District Executive Director Receives Leadership Award
Jim Durrett presented with CID Professional Excellence Award by Council for Quality Growth
Thad Ellis, Chairman of the BCID Board of Directors, and Jim Durrett, Executive Director of BCID
ATLANTA – November 15, 2023 – Yesterday the Council for Quality Growth presented Jim Durrett, executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, with the CID Professional Excellence Award during its 14th annual CID Recognition Reception. The CID Professional Excellence Award is given annually to a CID executive director, staff member or contractor recognizing an individual’s commitment to professional excellence through leadership in successfully investing in critical transportation infrastructure and quality of life improvement projects to enhance the district’s economic vitality.
In his 14 years serving the Buckhead CID, Durrett has been a part of countless beautification, accessibility and safety projects for the residents and businesses of Buckhead. Durrett oversaw the completion of a 10-year project to make Peachtree Road the signature and pedestrian-friendly boulevard that it is today. He’s been an integral part of HUB404, one of the Atlanta region’s highway capping parks with the goal of reconnecting communities divided by GA 400. He serves as treasurer of the HUB404 Conservancy and recently secured a $750,000 federal grant to advance the project.
From left: Thad Ellis, Chairman of BCID; Eric Tanenblatt, Chairman of Buckhead Coalition; President of Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of BCID; Linda Klein, Secretary of Buckhead Coalition; Adam Mathes, Chair of Buckhead Coalition’s Homelessness Committee; Garth Peters, Buckhead Coalition Director – Member, Citizen, and Government Affairs
Of his many accomplishments through the Buckhead CID, some of Durrett’s most notable are his acts of leadership during threats of cityhood and rising crime rates. He was integral in the successful effort to keep Atlanta and Buckhead together earlier this year. In 2020, when crime in Buckhead spiked, Durrett rallied 11 government and civic entities together to create the Buckhead Security Plan, which led to a two-year-and-counting reduction in crime. Jim also helped to bring an additional Atlanta Police Department precinct to Buckhead.
“Through all the challenges Buckhead has faced in recent years, Jim has remained a resolved and impactful leader among our region’s CIDs,” said Michael Paris, President & CEO of the Council for Quality Growth. “We’re proud to honor his accomplishments this year as he continues to push for transformative projects that enhance the quality of life not just in Buckhead, but all of metro Atlanta.”
For nearly three decades, Jim has worked to promote smart growth development and livable communities across metro Atlanta. He previously served as Vice President of Environmental Affairs for the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the founding Executive Director of both ULI Atlanta and the Livable Communities Coalition. Jim is also the longest-tenured member of MARTA’s Board of Directors, having served as Chair in 2011, and he is the current President of the Buckhead Coalition.
Each year, the Council for Quality Growth uniquely convenes the 30 Community Improvement Districts in our region to recognize the work they do year-round to enhance the quality of life here across metro Atlanta and to support the newly established CIDs as they become activated across the state of Georgia. This is the 14th year the Council has held this event and presented the CID Awards.
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About Buckhead CID
The objective of the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), working with the City of Atlanta and its community partners, is to meet the challenges resulting from Buckhead’s rapid, primarily automobile-based growth, including improving safety, traffic mobility, enhancing the pedestrian environment, creating better access to public transit, initiating intra-district transportation alternatives, encouraging better integration of land uses and improving linkages to the region’s automobile, transit and bicycle networks. For more information about the Buckhead CID, visit www.buckheadcid.org.
